Assessment of the Contrast to Noise Ratio in PET Scanners with Monte Carlo Methods

[摘要] The aim of the present study was to assess the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of PET scanners through a thin layer chromatography (TLC) plane source. The source was simulated using a previously validated Monte Carlo model. The model was developed by using the GATE MC package and reconstructed images obtained with the STIR software for tomographic image reconstruction. The PET scanner simulated was the GE DiscoveryST. A plane source consisted of a TLC plate, was simulated by a layer of silica gel on aluminum (Al) foil substrates, immersed in 18F-FDG bath solution. Image quality was assessed in terms of the CNR. CNR was estimated from coronal reconstructed images of the plane source. Images were reconstructed by the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE)-OSMAPOSL. OSMAPOSL reconstruction was assessed by using various subsets (3, 15 and 21) and various iterations (2 to 20). CNR values were found to decrease when both iterations and subsets increase. Two (2) iterations were found to be optimal. The simulated PET evaluation method, based on the TLC plane source, can be useful in image quality assessment of PET scanners.

[发布机构] Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Egaleo, Athens; 122 10, Greece^1;Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras; 265 00, Greece^2;Department of Computer Electronic Engineering, Technological Education Institute of Piraeus, Petrou Ralli and Thivon 250, Aigaleo, Athens; 122 44, Greece^3

[效力级别] 医药卫生 [学科分类] 卫生学

[关键词] A-plane;Aluminum (Al);Contrast to noise ratio;Image quality assessment;Monte Carlo model;PET scanner;Reconstructed image;Software for tomographic image reconstruction